Question is pretty clear cut: Why does Singapore not have a veterinary school?

1. My current conclusion is that there is the market demand for vets/veterinary service is sufficiently supplied by the Singaporeans who study vet overseas and come back to practice in Singapore.

2. With Singapore's increasing affluence, there is an increasing number of pets, but there is also an increasing number of people studying vet and coming back to Singapore.

3. That being said, it's pretty sad that those who can't afford it cannot study vet and the government probably doesn't feel like this is enough of a reason to start a vet school (given also the lack of a need to deed given market efficiency).

Question is pretty clear cut: Why does Singapore not have a veterinary school?

1. My current conclusion is that there is the market demand for vets/veterinary service is sufficiently supplied by the Singaporeans who study vet overseas and come back to practice in Singapore.

2. With Singapore's increasing affluence, there is an increasing number of pets, but there is also an increasing number of people studying vet and coming back to Singapore.

3. That being said, it's pretty sad that those who can't afford it cannot study vet and the government probably doesn't feel like this is enough of a reason to start a vet school (given also the lack of a need to deed given market efficiency).

Thoughts?

Yes, part of the reason Singapore does not have a veterinary school is because any demand is already met by Singaporeans who study veterinary science overseas.

But there is a more important reason besides this. If you look at the countries which excel at providing such courses e.g. US, UK and Australia etc, these are countries which also have large farming communities. In these countries, keeping large numbers of animals healthy is not a luxury, it is an actual need. University departments don't survive based only on students' tuition fees, they also need support from large businesses and the government. In places where farming is a big part of the economy, businesses and governments are willing to spend millions to support universities because these universities will conduct research on animal diseases and treatments which will help protect the livelihoods of people and businesses who depend on animals.

In Singapore, keeping a pet is a luxury, not a need. In fact, it is a luxury that many of your fellow Singaporeans cannot afford. And for those who can afford pets, no individual pet owner is going to donate money to a university to support the creation of a new faculty.